What If?
by Kaboot
Summary: What if Belle had never come to the castle? What if, after ten hopeless years, the fate of all those who inhabited the castle was sealed? What if they were never to be human again? [ThreeShot]
1. Part One

This is the first part of my 'what if' three-shot, about a possible future for the castle had Belle never come.

I'd like to apologize in advance for dialogue-heavy-ness and any out-of-character-ness.

The stories Clockwork (by Holli) and Forever Condemned (by LumBabsFan) were both a great inspiration for this piece.

Summary: What if Belle had never come to the castle? What if, after ten hopeless years, the fate of all those who inhabited the castle was sealed? What if they were never to be human again?

Disclaimer: I do not own Beauty and the Beast

* * *

The candelabra and the mantel clock stopped bickering. The teapot froze while trying to urge her youngest son to bed, and at the same time the child fell silent in his resistance. The pipe organ stopped playing, and the flute stopped cheering - two unheard of events.

Although they could be sure of what, everyone in the household could tell that something had happened. Something monumental. And the servants were quite sure they knew what.

A horrible, heart-wrenching roar from the West Wing confirmed their suspicions.

The last petal had fallen. The Prince's twenty-first year had arrived. The spell was permanent now, and everyone in the castle would remain as they were at that moment...forever.

"Cogsworth..." Lumiere said, slowly lowering his head. "...Do you think that...?"

"I have not doubt, Lumiere," Cogsworth replied. The candelabra sighed.

"G...Go check. We need to be sure."

Cogsworth stared at his friend, eyes widening. "Are you serious? Now? The Master will tear me to pieces - Literally!"

"But if it is not too late...! If there is still a chance, we mustn't give up hope, mon ami!"

"There is no if', Lumiere! We are going to stay like this! Forever!"

"Maybe there is still time!" Lumiere protested. Before Cogsworth could argue, a new voice interrupted the fight.

"Oh, Lumiere! Oh, Lumiere!" In a flash of feathers, Babette was down the stairs and at the candelabra's side. "I have just been to the West Wing, and - Oh, Lumiere!"

"Cheri, what is the matter?" Lumiere asked, carefully putting an arm' around the feather duster. She blew out the flame, due to habit more than concern - catching on fire could hardly compare with their newly-sealed fate - before she began wailing again.

"Oh, Lumiere!" She cried once more. "The rose is dead, and we might as well be, too!"

"So it's true then?" A fourth voice asked. Mrs. Potts hopped down the carpeted hall, passing the suits of armor, whose heads drooped deeply. Chip was following his mother, looking sad and confused.

"I'm afraid so," replied Cogsworth.

"Oh dear." The teapot looked away, crying silently. Chip gasped.

"You mean... We're never gonna be human? Ever again?"

"Ever again!" Babette echoed, detaching herself from Lumiere.

"Well," Mrs. Potts looked up, "the others ought to know."

Cogsworth nodded. "Right. Lumiere?"

"Oui?"

"Find anyone who may be in the gardens and alert them at once. Babette, you take the East Wing and boiler room, Mrs. Potts, you inform the kitchen, as well as the organ room. Chip - the entrance hall. I'll go to the dining hall and then cover anywhere that's left," the mantel clock ordered. Enchanted object or not, he was still Head of the Household, after all.

Mrs. Potts nodded in agreement. "Afterwards, the five of us will meet back here," she added.

"Right, we meet back-" Lumiere began, then turned to Mrs. Potts. "Why? It's not like there's anything we can do. It is over."

"I hate to say it," Cogsworth spoke up, "but I agree with Lumiere. What is the point anymore..." he lowered his head, "...to anything?"

"There will be none of that," Mrs. Potts said gently. "Our lives aren't over now, we've been living this way for ten years. We can keep it up. No one's going to be happy about this - none of us are, that's for certain - but we can't give up on life, no matter how great the tragedy."

"She's right," Cogsworth said, though he didn't look any less hopeless. "Let's go, then."

Mrs. Potts, Babette, and Chip left, but Lumiere lingered for a moment.

"Ah, Cogsworth?" He called before the clock went to leave.

"Hm?"

"The gardens...shouldn't take too long. Surely I can handle the dining room and anywhere left over," Lumiere offered. Cogsworth looked at him suspiciously, and he sheepishly continued. "There is one itty-bitty favor I have to ask of you, though."

Cogsworth groaned. "What, Lumiere?"

"If you could...The attic? It's up in the high tower, and as a candle, so many steps are quire a daunting challenge..."

"Is there even anyone up there?" Cogsworth inquired.

"Oui...Angelique and her assistants."

"Ange...The castle decorator?" Lumiere nodded and Cogsworth scowled. "She's been up there...all this time?"

Lumiere smiled nervously. "Well, I don't think you were there when she said she was going up there and swore to never come down...It was shortly after we transformed, and I believe I was the only witness to her claim..."

Cogsworth looked slightly unsure, but nodded. "Alright, Lumiere. I'll tell her."

"Merci," the candelabra said. He paused, then sighed and began to hop off, but Cogsworth called after him.

"Lumiere...Are you going to be alright?"

Lumiere looked back at him. "No," he stated simply. Cogsworth slowly shook his head.

"Of course not...I don't know why I... That was a stupid question. I'm sorry."

Lumiere sighed again, deeply, then nodded. "It's okay."

"I think... In the back of my mind, I always knew it would come to this."

"We all did, mon ami. I think we all did," Lumiere agreed, and he went down the hallway, leaving Cogsworth to head for the attic.

* * *

Well, there's part one. Thanks for reading. Just so you know, the second and especially third parts focus quite a bit on Angelique, with Cogsworth also playing a large role. 


	2. Part Two

Part two is here! Angelique comes into the picture, and takes a lot of the focus. There's a _**bit**_ of humor here to balance out the lack of humor in part one.

Again, I'd like to apologize in advance for dialogue-heavy-ness and any out-of-character-ness.

* * *

Mrs. Potts, Chip, Babette, and Lumiere returned to their meeting place in even worse spirits than before. All four appeared to have been crying, and it was Babette who spoke first.

"I don't think everyone believed me," she sighed.

Lumiere nodded. "It will probably take some time for everyone to...accept this."

"Everyone in the kitchen was absolutely devastated, poor dears..." Mrs. Potts reported. "Not the ol' maestro, though. He seemed rather happy, to be honest," she added with a shiver.

"When I told the coat rack, Mama, I think he cried," Chip told his mother. "But I'm not sure, because he doesn't have a face...and now he never will!" The boy exclaimed, before bursting into tears himself.

"Oh, Chip..." Mrs. Potts sighed, and kissed her son.

Babette looked around, blinking away tears. "Wai... Where is Cogsworth?" Lumiere blinked and looked around as well.

"That's odd... He went up to-"

"I refuse to believe this!" A woman's voice shouted, not far down the hall.

"Oh, alright," Lumiere stated. "He's coming."

Sure enough, Cogsworth's voice was heard soon after.

"_M-Mademoiselle_, please! I know it seems impossible, but I need you to just lis-"

"_Non!_ I will not listen to your stammering anymore! I demand answers!"

"That's what I'm trying to do..." Cogsworth groaned.

"Then I want proof!" Angelique came into view, quickly approaching the others. "_You!_" She pointed to Lumiere. "Or-Or anyone! _What_ is going _on_?!"

"Lumiere!" Cogsworth snapped as he, too, joined the others. "Did you _know_ she would be so...difficult?!" Lumiere smirked.

"Of course I did, _mon ami._ And being the only one who knew where she was, I couldn't just let her be forgotten."

"You just weren't going to get her yourself," Cogsworth finished. "Awful, Lumiere, absolutely awful."

"You!" Angelique turned to Mrs. Potts. "Teapot!"

"Yes, dear?"

Angelique blinked at her. "Mrs. Potts?" The teapot nodded. "What has happened?" The angel's tone was softer now, sounding more frightened. "Cogsworth said that...that the rose..."

"I'm afraid it's true, dearie," Mrs. Potts confirmed. "The last petal fell from the rose, and now we're stuck like this forever."

"No!" Angelique shouted defiantly. "I will not live like this forever! I refuse!"

"You can't refuse life, Angelique," Cogsworth sighed wearily. The former castle decorator glared at him.

"Watch me." She inhaled deeply, cheeks puffing out, and held her breath.

"Angelique, _cheri_..." Lumiere attempted, earning a scoff from Babette. "You cannot end your life like that. It won't let you, and even if I would, that won't work." Angelique narrowed her eyes at him, then gasped for air, and the candelabra smirked. "See?"

"Oh, Lumiere..." Babette sighed, leaning against him. "How are we going to live like this?"

"I don't know, _mi amor_... I don't know."

Angelique frowned and pointed to Babette. "Who is this?" She asked. Lumiere smiled nervously.

"Oh... Angelique... Surely you remember Babette?"

Angelique scrunched up her nose. "Ah, yes... The maid. The Enchantress turned you into a feather duster," she observed. "How...fitting." She tossed her head to the side haughtily. "Well, to answer your question... _I_, for one, will _not_ live like this. It is the most horrible thing I can imagine, to live like this forever!"

"We all feel that way, Angelique, but we can't give up on living." Lumiere explained.

"Haven't you been listening?!" Angelique yelled. "I can! I will! I already have... You've had a life down here Lumiere, _I_ have been in an attic-!"

"By your own choice! You swore to me that you would not come down, no matter what, unless the curse was broken!"

Angelique rolled her eyes. "And it was not! How can you expect me - or anyone - to go through a life with no purpose? No meaning!? Perhaps to all of you, a ruined life is enough, but not for me!" She cried, before turning away and rushing down the hall.

Cogsworth looked at Lumiere and gestured down the hallway.

"Wha- _Me_?" The candelabra sputtered.

"I already tried to deal with her!" Cogsworth hissed.

"But if I try to talk to her, it will only make things worse!"

Cogsworth opened his mouth to argue, then closed it, realizing Lumiere was right. "Fine. I'll go talk to her," he said reluctantly, and headed off.

* * *

There's part two! Thanks for reading! The next and final part I believe is all Angelique and Cogsworth, and hopefully both it and this part will be up to par with part one. 


	3. Part Three

The third and final part of the story is up! (That was fast...) This last part focuses only on Angelique and Cogsworth, but primarily Angelique.

I hope you enjoyed this story, and I'm extremely greatful to TrudiRose, disneyqueen, and LightOnAHill, who have been loyaly reading and reviewing.

As usual, I'd like to aplogize for how dialogue-heavy this piece is, and for any out-of-character-ness.

Disclaimer: I do not own Beauty and the Beast

* * *

Cogsworth found Angelique, after quite a bit of searching, in the library. She was standing by the window, staring out at the star-dotted sky, arms wrapped around herself.

"_Mademoiselle_?" Cogsworth carefully approached the angel, who sighed with frustration.

"I don't want to die," she admitted slowly, "but I don't want to live like this forever..."

"Of course you don't. None of us do. But I don't think that we'll even make forever... I mean, as objects never being tended to, we can only last so long. We may even forget how to live..." The clock paused and glanced at Angelique. "...Is this helping you at all, because I'm finding it rather depressing."

"But to live at all without a cause?" Angelique moaned. "I don't understand how anyone could stand that. A decorator for a castle that no one visits? A maitre d' with no one to serve? A maid when no one cares about cleanliness?" She turned to face Cogsworth and ventured, "A head of a household who no one will listen to?" Cogsworth flinched.

"Well, it will be different - it _has_ been different... We're not living for our jobs anymore. We're living for the sake of living. And, until tonight...we were living on hope."

"Not living for out jobs, but for the sake of living," Angelique repeated cynically. "Funny, how that sounds like an improvement."

"Angelique, if I may... Is it possible that there isn't _only_ the curse bothering you?" Cogsworth hesitated, then continued. "Babette, perhaps?"

"Her? _Non._ I know Lumiere. I knew he would not wait for me if I was up in some attic," Angelique said nonchalantly.

"Oh... Angelique, why _did_ you imprison yourself up there?"

"I couldn't stand the idea...of being helpless. And I knew that if I stayed, I wouldn't be able be to help but to hope. I didn't want to hope for a hopeless cause. Still..."

"Hm?"

"When I went up there, years ago, I expected him...to come after me."

Cogsworth frowned, mentally cursing Lumiere for insisting that he follow Angelique. Comforting others was not his strong suit, not at all. "I don't think it was so much that he didn't want to come after you, as it was that he thought _you_ didn't want him to come after you," he offered.

"It doesn't matter," Angelique said with a shrug. Cogsworth awkwardly put a 'hand' on her shoulder.

"But you won't try to...?"

Angelique shook her head. "_Non. _I'm not ready." Noticing that Cogsworth still looked slightly nervous, she went on. "I won't try... You have my word."

Cogsworth breathed a sigh of relief. "Good."

Angelique smiled with a nod and the slightest hint of laughter. "Good. _Oui._"

"Well, why don't we go back so the others can see you're alive and well?" Cogsworth suggested, deciding that maybe he _would_ forgive Lumiere for putting him up to this.

"Alive, Cogsworth," Angelique corrected. "I am alive, and may even be happy someday. But never truly well." Cogsworth did his best to look brave, and nodded.

"We'll...manage. All of us. Somehow."

Angelique raised her hand to his, which was still on her shoulder, and gently removed it.

"We can only hope."

* * *

Well, it's done. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it! I'm personally not thrilled with the ending, but I think I got what I was going for, more or less. On a side note, writing for Angelique has been extremely fun - She's a bit of a drama queen, no? Well, thanks again, and please review! 


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